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A Beer Company Is Providing Free Water at Ultra Music Festival This Year

Heineken is giving out complimentary water during the Miami-based festival.
Photo of Ultra 2016 courtesy of festival

Revelers headed to Ultra Music Festival this weekend in Miami will be able to get free water, thanks to an initiative by beer company Heineken to encourage responsible drinking. The "This One Is On Us" campaign provides free cups of water to people who visit the Heineken House at the festival. The company is also sponsoring all of the festival's water stations.

"By encouraging responsible consumption and making water more accessible, we are helping attendees get the most out of their festival experience, compliments of Heineken," Bjorn Trowery, Director of Corporate Communications and Brand PR at Heineken USA told THUMP.

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The free water will be available at a dedicated water bar in Heineken House—the brewer's onsite bar—throughout the duration of the festival, as well as at stations across the site where people can refill their own bottles.

Ultra has been providing free water at its festivals since 2013, prior to this water was only available to purchase for $5 a bottle, according to Pulse Radio. Providing free water to attendees is seen as a priority by the harm reduction movement—the principle of minimizing the negative consequences of substance use. Nightlife safety organization DanceSafe warns of the dangers of heatstroke during outdoor festivals and advices that attendees try to stay hydrated. The organization recommends drinking two cups of water (500ml) every hour, even if you don't feel thirsty.

Ultra isn't the only American festival to make steps towards implementing onsite harm reduction measures. Last year, EDM juggernaut Insomniac announced an initiative to bring drug education to their events. California-based Lightning in a Bottle has been providing a comprehensive safety initiative—including free water stations and chillout zones—for a number of years.

Trowery said that the initiative at Ultra will also be brought to future events and festivals throughout the year. The campaign is part of the company's corporate social responsibility program "Brewing a Better World" which aims to make responsible consumption and sustainable practices easier, accessible, and more relevant to their consumers.

Justice, Underworld, and The Prodigy are all playing at Ultra, which is going down this weekend at Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami.